United States District Court District of Nevada

The U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada issues an update. Since the Court’s March 19, 2020, order closing the Clerk’s Office to the public and eliminating in-person court appearances when feasible, COVID-19 spread has resulted in the need for additional measures to reduce density, maximize distancing, and to protect the health and safety of the public and its employees. On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” (“CARES Act”) authorizing the use of video and telephone conferencing, under certain circumstances and with the consent of the defendant, for various criminal events during the course of the COVID-19 emergency. On March 29, 2020, the Judicial Conference of the United States also found that emergency conditions due to the national emergency declared by the President have affected and will materially affect the functioning of the federal courts generally. Accordingly, the Court issues Temporary General Order 2020-05 to authorize the use of video conferencing, or telephone conferencing if video conferencing is not reasonably available, for certain criminal proceedings as provided in the CARES Act. The public may call in to listen to hearings when hearings are conducted by video conferencing or teleconferencing.